Comprehensive School Guidance Programs in Nebraska: Implications for Rural Schools

Archival data from an in-state survey of 428 elementary and secondary school counselors completed by the Nebraska Department of Education regarding comprehensive guidance programs was reviewed for relevant information. This information is discussed relative to the current views and knowledge regarding the state of comprehensive developmental guidance and their implications for school counselors and administrators. As far back as the mid-1960's there were warnings (e.g., Deck & Cecil, 1990) that school counselors should not take for granted their importance within educational programming. When decisions have been made relative to program prioritization, it was counselors who often times had difficulty demonstrating their effectiveness and thus their professional utility could be viewed as expendable (e.g., Feller, 1994; Gibbs, 2003). Counselors today, however, are becoming increasingly aware that there is empirical evidence that counseling interventions do have a positive and measurable impact on students ' educational an